A new edition of the most impressive celebration in history has begun: the FIFA World Cup 2026. Held for the first time simultaneously across three countries: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The good news is that El Tri gave us a 2-0 victory over a weak Bafana Bafana in the opening match.
However, the 104 matches of this World Cup carry a soporific and far-from-innocent consequence: the distraction of the masses from issues that should be priorities in citizens’ lives. What is happening is not a new phenomenon either: back in ancient Rome, the distribution of wheat among Roman citizens, combined with the entertainment offered in the empire’s various coliseums, served to keep the population content.
Technological innovation over more than twenty centuries has allowed the numbing role of bread-and-circuses policies to reach an incomparably larger audience. While only tens of thousands of Romans could be distracted in coliseums, the football World Cup, broadcast across every kind of telecommunications platform, draws billions of views per match.
One need only recall that the last North American World Cup, USA ’94, managed to halt the Balkan genocide during the broadcast of matches. Imagine now that virtually every person with access to any technology, from radio to television, from mobile phones to computers, can enjoy coverage of an even greater number of matches, filling their leisure hours with nationalist sentiment and manufactured joy, often sparked by a game starring twenty-two millionaires focused on a ball.
Rome distributed wheat to calm stomachs and prevent rebellions. Telecommunications companies distribute content to sell data. During the 2026 World Cup, mobile operators in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and much of Latin America have implemented zero-rating policies (free access to certain apps) for the platforms broadcasting matches. These companies are not being generous; they are simply buying loyalty and information.
This way, it doesn’t matter if the citizens cannot pay their monthly bill. They will still be able to watch Messi’s goals, Mexico’s victories, or the magic that Brazil transmits.
The trade is simple: goals in exchange for usage habits, user behavior, and other specialized data from each user on the platform. Every match watched, every replay shared, and every sports bet placed through an app enabled by the operator’s network generates data that feeds consumption profiles, psychographic models, and the ability to influence future decisions. Goals are celebrated, and the user’s data profile is enriched.
Yet this is not just another case of data harvested through a social network. The World Cup’s impact is greater, and its primary strength lies in its ability to distract. It is not enough that populist governments prioritize a football match over the education of their children during the weeks of the tournament; few will notice that the war between Russia and Ukraine has already lasted longer than the First World War.
Meanwhile, the World Bank notes that the conflict in the Middle East could slow global growth to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic. More than 318 million people will face crisis-level hunger in 2026. The World Cup scoreboard displaces the tally of the dead, the hungry, and the displaced from prime-time news coverage.
In the Americas, the outlook is equally troubling. On one hand, depending on how the Epstein case evolves, there is the possibility of a U.S. intervention in Cuba; there will likely be an increase in violence driven by arms and drug trafficking across several countries in the region. While in Colombia, President Petro will continue to say he will take to the streets to protest election results he did not like, a very democratic, Bolsonarist, and Trumpist stance.
One could wager that Ortega will continue trying to stay quiet, so people forget about his regime and avoid the Maduro effect. At the same time, Venezuelan migrants keep waiting for regime change in a hemisphere where Haiti remains a failed state, Guyana is the new wealthy neighbor, and accusations of drug trafficking and corruption threaten to destabilize Honduras.
One must not forget that Mexico, on July 1st (twelve days before the World Cup final), faces the most critical USMCA review since the agreement entered into force. Nor can one ignore that lethal violence in the country grew by 72.6% over the last decade, according to data from México Evalúa. Mothers will be searching for mass graves during the tournament, but their marches will receive no coverage. The algorithm has other priorities; people want to mark what they like and avoid what hurts them.
The citizen who celebrates El Tri’s goal does so out of pride in those who represent the country — a matter of honor, patriotism, and collective joy. But at the same time, they are funding with their data and attention the very actors who determine the price of their connectivity, the state of their privacy, and the concentration of power in the digital market.
Hundreds of goals, millions of people kept up at night, and five billion viewers mapped. That is the real equation of the 2026 World Cup.
